Law and Order: Hooper Holmes
by gumiho18
Summary: He gave her advice when it came to romance. She accepted it and ran with it.
1. Her Days were made of Steele I

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

****AN: Hey all! I've got a new story for you guys. It's post-Reichenbach, everything's sorted and back to normal. This fic involves Sherlock/Molly but has a little of Molly/OC. I think Molly deserves some good guys, especially after Moriarty, so this is what I came up with. I know there are a couple of stories that pairs Molly with characters from other shows, I have to admit that this is one of them and if this somehow is too similar to those stories then a thousand apologies. I did try to see if they feature the character that I utilized in this part of the story and I haven't seen one. The male character here should be familiar to some, but I don't want to spoil the surprise (but the hint is right in the chapter title). Thanks for indulging this note, and thank you for reading.

**Law and Order: Hooper/Holmes**

"_For the sake of law and order I suggest you avoid all future attempts at a relationship, Molly_."

Chapter One

**Her days were made of Steele**

The simple fact was he wasn't paying attention. That's correct. The great Sherlock Holmes, the world's only consulting detective, failed to notice the changes in one Dr. Molly Hooper. The moment that he finally deduced that something was afoot, well it was a tad late.

It began, innocuously enough, with her absence.

Sherlock Holmes and John Watson were at St. Bart's. This was not entirely unusual for the two were more often than not using the hospital as their private lab to further their investigations. But this time their visit was sanctioned by Scotland Yard. It was under Detective Inspector Lestrade's request that they view a body of recent murder victim; whoever was at the morgue will be compelled to comply with his demands by the sheer legitimacy of their mission. Still, Molly's presence was very much preferable. She knew how he worked and knew how to work with him and John. So the discovery of her absence was quite unwelcome.

Her entire schedule was etched on his brain. Knowledge of her comings and goings made his visits to the morgue a great deal easier. Sherlock preferred dealing with her blushing and stuttering to the protestations of other staff that he was not welcome to the facilities without the right paperwork. Although to be fair, Molly had slowly but surely stopped blushing and stuttering around him after the entire Reichenbach affair. After unwaveringly offering her assistance, Sherlock realized that he had another name to add to his lonely list of friends, Molly Hooper.

Thus their relationship has transformed into a more equitable partnership. He no longer felt the need to compliment her insincerely just to get his way and she no longer felt used and abused by him. All in all, a far superior arrangement.

To find her missing from her post, well Sherlock did not like it one bit.

John looked around the lab before he folded his arms across his chest. "Lunch, you reckon?"

Sherlock shot him a distasteful look before he eyes his friend's watch meaningfully. It was already two in the afternoon. Molly liked to keep to her schedule, very rarely does she delineate from it and she was not one to take a long lunch. John shrugged but Sherlock was no longer paying him any mind as he got his mobile out and started texting the missing pathologist.

_At St. Bart's. You are not._

_SH_

He tapped the screen of his phone with his fingertip while he waited for the reply. Molly was incredibly vigilant about answering his texts instantly. When she failed to respond he tried again.

_Have to see to a body. Require your assistance._

_SH_

He waited a beat. Sherlock huffed in annoyance at the lack of answer. He could feel John looking at him with silent mirth and he did not like it.

"Maybe she's ignoring you." John said with a small smile playing on his lips.

Sherlock raised a brow at the suggestion. John was just guessing as he had no evidence to make such an assumption. Sherlock was quite certain that he had done nothing that would push Molly into disregarding his existence. If he had made an unfortunate slight, well he had John to tell him that he ought to apologize, since his flat mate had yet to suggest that he do just that meant he nothing to apologize for.

His patience wearing thin, he simply decided that a call had to be made. He so disliked making calls. The only response he got was an automated voice telling him that the owner of the mobile could not be reached at this time.

With an indignant air, Sherlock swept out of the lab and made his way to what he knew was Molly's office. As he entered the tiny room, his mind took in everything. The space was barely adequate to be of any use to him, precisely why he never had any reason to step inside, until now. It was very evident that this was Dr. Molly Hooper's office; the diploma hanging on the wall was enough of a clue to anyone who was looking and also a poster of a kitten hanging onto a branch with the words 'hang in there,' Molly and her inexplicable fondness for felines.

A narrow desk was placed against the wall and behind it was a sleek black ergonomic chair, something that the hospital seemed to have spent a great deal of money on, as the lamp in the corner of the room and the desk itself looked like they were merely bought from some cheap furniture store. He marched towards the desk and saw Molly's personality radiating from the small table. It had a laptop; _closed_ to keep anyone from looking through whatever files she had on there, probably not a challenge to him though, her password could easily be deduced, a paper weight of a cat which look remarkably like Toby; _predictable_, a pink daily planner; _quite old fashioned_ since nowadays people can simply make use of their mobiles, a picture frame of two elderly couple, obviously her parents their physical attributes had found their way in Molly's appearance;_ sentiment_, and a transparent glass vase containing a single daisy; _yet another sign of sentiment_. Sherlock could vaguely recall Molly telling him that it was her favorite flower for some reason or another; he had better things to remember. A pile of paperwork was on the corner of the table, paperwork that had gone undone whilst Molly was on some mysterious adventure. And finally an abandoned cup of tea.

Sherlock focused on the planner. Clearly, Molly made the effort to purchase the thing, bring it with her to work so it is obvious that she would painstakingly take the time to write down her appointments. He flipped through the pages until he reach the correct date. He frowned slightly as something caught his eye. He proceeded to turn to pages of days past and his eyes narrowed with mild displeasure. His glance landed on the flower and then back on the planner.

"Sherlock," John's exasperation was evident in his tone. Sherlock had the inclination that said exasperation was directed AT HIM and not towards a certain pathologist, who was still conspicuously absent. "What are you doing?"

He rolled his eyes at the stupid question. What he was doing was incredibly clear; why John insists on even posing the question was exceedingly irritating.

"Molly won't appreciate that." John nodded towards what he was doing.

He scoffed at that. He was not remotely interested in what Molly was going to feel once she discovered that he had been through her things. As she was not present, she only had herself to blame.

He heard John sigh and saw him eye his watch. "So where does that say she is?"

"Out." Sherlock answered curtly.

"That's all you gathered?" John asked unimpressed as he too made his way to the desk and took Molly's planner from Sherlock's inspection. He looked through them and seemed to arrive at the same conclusion as he did as he closed it and placed it back where Sherlock found it.

Sherlock glared at him flat mate imperiously at the slight, he had every intention of informing John on everything that he missed from his own perusal of Molly's calendar. "It would appear that Molly Hooper has got herself a beau."

* * *

Once John had gotten over his pronouncement, he went to work. He walked back to the morgue, searched for the body they required and made John look for the file that accompanied it. He read the file and then proceeded to examine the body with great diligence. Typically, Molly would tell him all she could about a body and he proceeded to tell her all that she missed. Of course they could not do that when she was still absent.

Just as they were putting everything back in its place in the lab (John's idea not his, Molly could clean up after them, just as she would have done had she been there all along), she finally made an appearance. He made a point of not looking at her as he fiddled with his mobile, sending Lestrade information on the case from what he just gathered from the body.

Molly Hooper waltzed into the morgue without a care in the world. She was holding a cup of coffee from the ridiculous café that Sherlock refused to patronize. She was wearing a relatively boring jumper, as opposed to the more colorful ones she used to don; it was a rather specific color of blue, pale with a bit more depth to it, a present perhaps from her suitor. No it did not seem like a present for her, she purchased it herself, but she did so because it reminded her of the mysterious man. Her hair was down, his choice or her choice? Probably his, Molly liked to keep her hair out of the way whenever she was working. Her coiffure looked like it was hastily put into order, was that the reason for her absence, an afternoon rendezvous? Her lips, clearly she applied lipstick but it had faded, obviously the work of her amorous lover, her mouth was definitely not small now. Her cheeks were rosy, but not because she was blushing, nor was it artificial. Overall, Molly Hooper looked…more. Sherlock could not put his finger on it precisely. He felt a tad unsettled by it all.

Early on his acquaintance with Molly, he conducted an experiment. It was a few months into their introduction and Sherlock had not had a case for weeks. So he spent most of his time at St. Bart's, conducting experiments. Molly was still very compliant with all his wishes, despite the fact that he began making demands that were beyond the pale, even by his own standards. And so he decided to test Molly. In his experience, people had a limit to actions that they were willing to condone. Most of them lasted no more than a day with him. Molly, it seemed, had an unusually high tolerance. In the interest of cultivating the incredible resource that is Dr. Hooper, Sherlock spent a week provoking various emotional responses from the young woman. The decision to do so came not only from utter boredom but also in preparation for any future encounters with the pathologist. It was all for the best, being prepared for any and all emotional outbursts from Dr. Hooper would enable him to react appropriately; it was all to retain his access to the lab and the morgue.

He saw her display shyness, whenever he stood too close to her; she also turned red at his close proximity or if he touched any part of her body. It took a while for him to see her become annoyed or angry; he had to be completely disagreeable towards her. Compliments were enough to soothe any ill feelings she had towards him afterwards, she would smile at him and everything was forgotten. Sherlock saw her comport herself with such professionalism when they were in the company of others, it seemed that he was the only one who could render her into such a bumbling girl, which oddly enough made him feel a little too pleased with himself. Perhaps his most favored side of Molly Hooper was when she was all alone and about to conduct an autopsy. The focused expression on her face, the confident stance she took and the steadiness of her hands as she handled a scalpel and the various instruments she required to perform her duties, it was a source of fascination for him, seeing the mousy woman who stuttered over her words when speaking to him transform into such an impeccable pathologist.

The expression on her face now, it was simply foreign to him. And the knowledge that he missed something about her was disconcerting to say the least.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw him and then John.

Sherlock looked up from his mobile and raised a brow. "You weren't here. We're on a case; time is of the essence-"

John snorted.

He glared at his friend for the interruption. Time was of the essence. There was no justifiable reason for Watson to snort at such an inopportune moment, clearly John wished to convey something, either to him or to Molly. "I've sent you a text that you are needed here."

"Sorry, I've turned it off." Molly replied with sincerity that Sherlock could never imitate. She dug through her purse in search of her phone and he could not help but feel impatient. When her hand retracted from her bag she extracted a different mobile from what he knew was hers. "Oh." Her eyes flitted over to his and then at John.

Before Sherlock could muster any response, the doors to the lab opened with a deep voice saying Molly.

Ah, the mystery man. His eyes took in the stranger who was the source of Molly's preoccupation. Tall, about as tall as he was. Suit was tailored and expensive, his brow rose at that. Shoes were polished, also expensive. Blonde, very blond. Face was lined with wrinkles, should look old but was distinguished instead. And oh yes, older late forties perhaps, a bit of a surprising choice for Molly.

And Molly, she was looking quite normal during their brief exchange but the moment that the other man came into the room it was as though a light from within her was switched on. She once again looked…more than she typically looked.

In the man's outstretched hand was Molly's mobile. Sherlock's eyes narrowed at the implication. He watched as Molly closed the distance between her and the man. The two exchanged phones and whispered words. Molly then hooked her arm through his and beamed at him, positively beamed. "Thank you." Her voice was sweet as she looked up at him. Sherlock rolled his eyes.

John cleared his throat to remind the other two occupants of their presence, Sherlock shot him a curious look, and his friend simply remained quiet, resolutely avoiding his gaze.

Molly looked like she was startled from a pleasant dream. "Oh, I'm sorry. Sherlock, John, I'd like you to meet James Steele-"

"Your boyfriend." Sherlock finished for her.

Her eyes widened considerably. "Well, yes." She exchanged looks with James and John. And then she smiled as though pleased by what just occurred. "Of course you know. You always know."

John coughed a word that Sherlock easily recognized, 'cheater,' he gave the other man a sharp glance and then focused back on Molly and James.

James Steele held out his hand to John who shook it without hesitation. "Pleasure to meet you." When he turned to him, Sherlock simply ignored the hand being offered and assessed the man before him. Instead of taking offense, the man simply smiled and nodded, as though giving him permission.

"I've heard your deductive skills are legendary, have at it then." James smiled at him pleasantly.

His eyes narrowed. This was unusual. People tend to dislike being the object of his deduction and yet this man, Molly Hooper's boyfriend, was actually inviting him to dissect his entire person. Two of the other three occupants of the room were looking at him expectantly; Molly did not look the least bit uncomfortable, which meant that she had already warned James Steele about what John says were his rude tendencies. John was looking at him warningly, as though quietly telling him to behave himself, Sherlock decided to ignore him. He set aside his earlier observations and proceeded to prod even further.

His mind took in all the information and with a deep breath; Sherlock did proceed to 'have at it.' "The bridge of your nose have indentations, indicating usage of glasses, however as you are not wearing them now suggests a bit of vanity. You have a single strand of hair stuck just on the topmost part of your left ear; it is not the same color of your blonde head, which points to the fact that you recently wore a wig. You are wearing an expensive suit, clearly tailored and since you felt the need to switch mobiles with Molly then clearly your occupation is a demanding one and probably quite lucrative. You obviously take pains in your appearance, but you missed a spot on your collar, a black lint from another garment, may be a coat but you are wearing a gray one so that's not it. If you indeed wore a wig then it is probable that you were wearing a robe that is customary to your profession as a barrister." He finished triumphantly.

John rolled his eyes and Molly patted James arm in what Sherlock could only describe as sympathy, why she would feel the need to do so was beyond him.

The man in question was touching the bridge of his nose a little self-consciously. "I admit that was brilliant. And I am a bit vain about wearing my glasses; I usually just wear them whenever I am alone." He smiled down at Molly and touched the pathologist's cheek with clear affection. Then he seemed to become conscious of the fact that the two of them were not the only one in the room and looked rather sheepish. "I must be going." He said after he glanced at his watch. He kissed Molly on the cheek, whispered something that Sherlock was unable to hear and as James' head was turned he was unable to read his lips and then the man turned towards them, nodded at him and John. "It was nice to meet the both of you."

The three of them watched as James Steele left.

John straightened his shoulders and looked at him expectantly. Sherlock ignored him and focused his attention on Molly.

"Shall we get going then?" John burst out loudly that Molly looked at him with a bit of confusion mixed with amusement.

Sherlock ignored him. "Molly, I seem to recall a conversation concerning you and your attempts at romantic relationships." He eyed her with mild disinterest as he said the words.

Her chin stuck out in what was clearly a defiant manner. "I seem to recall you telling me to avoid all future attempts at a relationship."

He nodded imperceptibly. "And you thought it wise to disregard my advice."

"Sherlock!" John hissed.

"One would think that after your last foray in romance you would be less willing to endeavor entering yet another-"

"One would be wrong." Molly interjected.

His brow rose at the interruption but he continued nonetheless. "After all you did nab a raving psychopath." He finished sardonically.

"As opposed to being infatuated with a self-proclaimed sociopath." Molly delivered the words with a slight smile.

John was no longer looking mortified, apparently quite confident in Molly's ability to defend her romantic notions. In fact, Sherlock could see his lips curling upward a bit. Amused then. He turned back to Molly and saw that she too was displaying a level of amusement that was simply incomprehensible to him. He was not wrong in his statement. While he had grown accustomed to a no longer stuttering Molly Hooper, there were moments, when he wished she would stop being quite assertive at the most inconvenient times. He was merely telling her about her past folly and that this James Steele could very well be a dubious character.

He decided to ignore Molly's reference to him being the object of her affection, clearly that was no longer the case as she had chosen to associate with James Steele romantically. "James Steele is an unknown quantity, therefore subject to suspicion until proven innocent."

Sherlock watched as Molly sighed. "Sherlock, to you he may be an unknown quantity. But to me, well he is my boyfriend. I am getting to know him. That's what dating is all about." She looked like she was trying to be patient and he couldn't help but feel that it was _he_ who was displaying such patience towards her.

He rolled his eyes. This continued insistence of dating, John liked dating and now Molly, such a waste of time and energy on an activity that never seem to deliver their desired results. Molly's previous experience with Moriarty ought to have quelled her desire for dating. And yet…so inexplicable. "Had you bothered treating _Jim_ with even the mildest suspicion, I would not be here questioning your choice of paramour." He concluded matter-of-factly.

Molly's brows rose and an indignant expression crossed her face. "Well Sherlock, despite Jim," She said the name with such distaste. "I decided not to operate under the assumption that any man who expresses any interest in me does so in order to get close to you."

John cleared his throat, and glared at him, clearly silently telling him to shut up, well he would not be told what to do.

His flat mate went ignored. "Perhaps you should. What exactly do you know about this James Steele?" Sherlock demanded.

"I know enough." Molly replied shortly. "And while I may not know everything there is to know about him, I will learn them as my relationship with him continues."

Sherlock scoffed.

"I believe Lestrade is waiting for us Sherlock." John spoke up, loudly.

He spared a glance at John before looking once more at Molly. "Molly, I am merely pointing out the folly of your decision to engage in a romantic dalliance with a virtual stranger."

"And I am telling you that the entire point of dating is to transform a virtual stranger into someone a person could love." Molly countered.

Again with the sentiment. Molly ought to know by now that such argument was simply irrelevant to him.

"Besides, I am not a complete idiot, Sherlock. I too have no intention of getting involved with another Jim." She said with such force. "I asked Greg to look into James' background."

'Greg?' His brows furrowed.

"Lestrade." John correctly interpreted his expression.

Sherlock shook his head in disapproval. "You've asked Lestrade?"

Molly nodded. "And he said that James is a good man."

Sherlock scoffed again. Lestrade was not the pinnacle of good judgment, why would she put such faith in him?

"Sherlock, if you think about it, I am actually sort of taking your advice." Molly met his gaze head on and continued speaking when he raised his brow to ask in what way was she taking his advice. "You told me, for the sake of law and order to avoid all future attempts at a relationship. Obviously I can't avoid relationships and I don't want to. But you did give me the idea to pursue them with men who belong to the profession of law and order. James used to be a crown prosecutor." She beamed at him.

He looked down at her. What a preposterous idea. Following his advice? He expressly told her not to pursue any relationship; she twisted his words in order to fulfill her own notions.

Molly of the now was clearly not going to be dissuaded from pursuing romance with James Steele, while Molly of the past would have been easier to convince, clearly that Molly was gone and in her place was a Molly who seemed to be quite passionate about James Steele. Sherlock had quite enough of Molly Hopper and her romantic inclinations. He nodded in her direction and turned towards the door. "Come along, John. Lestrade will meet us at the crime scene."

He marched out of the lab without waiting for John. His friend was too busy saying goodbye to Molly. Sherlock refocused on the case they were on. His study of the body gave him all the answers he required. A visit to the crime scene would merely confirm his deductions and then he would be free to focus all his attentions on his next case, one that was infinitely more interesting.

* * *

Sherlock was busy going over everything about the case but John's persistent staring was distracting him. "Do stop, John." John was sitting next to him in the cab. His flat mate clearly had something to say but Sherlock simply had no patience for inane chatter.

"That was rude of you, leaving Molly like that." John remarked.

He looked out the window and ignored John.

"So was questioning her judgment. James seems like a nice enough bloke. "

'_Nice_.' Sherlock thought nastily. How utterly pedestrian. And John's well-intentioned adjective describing the man was definitely not appreciated. Nice, if that was how Molly picked her choice of romantic partners, well her taste in men was deteriorating, and she picked Moriarty.

"She looked happy."

He turned and finally looked at John only to glare at him. "Happy, what are you on about?" He demanded.

John raised a brow at the question. "Happy, Sherlock, Molly looks like she is quite happy."

"Did she?" He muttered under his breath. Was that the foreign emotion that he spotted in the pathologist? The one emotion he could not pinpoint until John declared it as happiness. Had he never seen Molly Hooper happy in all the years that they've known each other? The realization caused tightness in his chest that he did not appreciate. He buried the feeling and the knowledge deep within the recesses of his mind palace with no intention of ever revisiting it.

"Don't you think so?" John was looking at him with fierce concentration, why he felt the need to do so was simply puzzling.

He shrugged and went back to staring out the window.

John cleared his throat. "Now Sherlock, I know how you're going to be,"

Sherlock frowned slightly but refused to look at his friend. From the periphery he saw John shake his head. He rolled his eyes.

"Just, just don't ruin this for Molly."

He finally turned his head to look at John. He struggled to maintain an air of impassivity. But John's words made his blood boil. "I need not bother ruining anything for Molly; she is completely capable of doing that all on her own."

John winced. "See, this is exactly what I am talking about." His flat mate shook his head. "You act like you're beyond any emotion, but this," John gestured to his entire person. "Well you're not and you're acting, well you are being-"

He sighed heavily as he interjected. "John, do try to be articulate when you speak."

"A tosser!" John concluded with a fierce scowl on his face. "You're my friend Sherlock, my best mate. But Molly is my friend too." John seemed to lose his steam. "And I don't want your jealousy getting in the way of her relationship."

Sherlock scoffed when John said the word jealousy. What utter nonsense! He was not jealous. If it appeared that he was showing more interest in Molly's relationship with James Steele than he would typically give to any colleague who happened to be involved romantically, well it was simply because Molly knew how to pick men, and she exemplified it by showing how she didn't. "I am not jealous." He spat out with such distaste, he was above such sentiment.

John chuckled. "You are." His friend studied him and then nodded. "Definitely jealous."

"Don't be ridiculous, John." He replied with such condescension. It was quite irritating, what John was doing. He found it completely obnoxious, that John thought he could assign whatever emotion that he was feeling.

John nodded again. "You're so used to Molly swooning over you and not another man."

"I found her attentions rather bothersome in fact. And pay attention, John. Molly stopped being susceptible to my…attentions, feigned or otherwise, for quite a while now."

John actually laughed at his words. Before Sherlock could question him on the source of his mirth the cabbie stopped and his friend got out without another word, his laughter cut short once the door shut, leaving Sherlock alone and the cabbie unpaid.

TBC


	2. Her days were made of Steele II

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**AN: **Hello, sorry this took too long. I find writing from this perspective a little difficult, add the holidays and so an unexpected hiatus. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I made a huge mistake by saying this involved Molly/OC, James Steele is actually a character in **Law and Order UK**. If you don't know what he looks like just search Ben Daniels, the man looks good in a suit. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I deeply appreciate it. Now on with the story...

__**Law and Order: Hooper/Holmes**

_"For the sake of law and order I suggest you avoid all future attempts at a relationship, Molly."_

Chapter 2

**Her Days were made of Steele II**

Molly Hooper was being haunted.

When she assisted the great Sherlock Holmes fake his death more than a year ago, she imagined that memories of him would haunt her as she went about her life once he left to dismantle Moriarty's criminal network. But then he never really left, well her at least. He would pop around her flat with such regularity that she never really found the time to miss him.

So she never got to experience being haunted by memories of Sherlock. She never felt truly saddened by his 'death,' unlike three other people who were truly heartbroken. Molly could actually imagine what it would have felt like if she remained ignorant of Sherlock's plans. She would have spent a lot of time crying for him and for John, Mrs. Hudson and even Greg. Her heart would have felt heavy, so very heavy that the most brilliant man she knew was driven to suicide because some psychopath and an idiot of a reporter was having a go at him. She would have wept for him because Sherlock Holmes was not a fraud. She was a constant witness to his brilliance, before the entire world caught on.

Molly simply never imagined that Sherlock would haunt her when he finally managed to reclaim his life and everything went back to normal. She never imagined that a day after introducing her boyfriend to Sherlock and John that Sherlock would come back the very next day and haunt her with everything he knew about said boyfriend.

The first day, Sherlock appeared at the lab of St. Bart's in the middle of her shift. He offered Molly a cup of tea and then proceeded to tell her all about James and his background. When she politely informed him that he need not tell her a thing about what he discovered, Sherlock ignored her and kept delivering facts about James, his relations, his upbringing, the schools that he attended and how he became a barrister.

She tried to ignore him and went about her work. But incredibly Sherlock kept up talking until it was time for her to go home. Molly thanked him for his consideration through gritted teeth and went off to go home and hopefully drown out everything he said with a bottle of wine and James for company.

The second day, Sherlock was earlier than the day before. He continued his onslaught by breaking down the cases that James took on as crown prosecutor. When Molly told him that he was distracting her from her work, he simply informed her that she was fully capable of multitasking, something that he had seen her do plenty of times. By lunchtime she asked him if his time was not better served on an actual case rather than on her boyfriend, he simply looked at her as though she was completely daft, a look that to be honest Molly was entirely familiar with, and went on dissecting everything that James did wrong as a lawyer.

When Molly told Sherlock that she was going to get him coffee, she managed to call up Greg and asked him if he had a case for Sherlock. The detective inspector was a bit surprised but then he told her that Sherlock had informed him that the case he was currently on was infinitely more interesting than a murder investigation. Molly was baffled that Sherlock would find James Steele more fascinating. It was perfectly okay for _her_ to find James fascinating, but Sherlock...

Her boiling point was reached when Sherlock told her in his rich baritone that James fancied Alesha Philips, a junior crown prosecutor, during his tenure. Molly finally asked him to please leave. Sherlock had looked at her and then asked if what he said was a bit much and she told him yes, a bit. He nodded decisively and finally left. Her relief was short-lived when he said he was going to be back the next day. That was when she decided to call for reinforcements.

* * *

Molly had ordered a pint and felt better already. She was relatively comfortable, sitting in one of the booths at the pub that she and her friends favored. There weren't a lot of people yet, the pub was not that far from the hospital and Molly had that advantage over the rest of London.

She sighed as she thought about her day. Sherlock, she had no idea what drove him to investigate James as if her boyfriend was a murderer. Granted, she did date Sherlock's arch enemy, but she had more sense now, didn't she? She had Greg look into James' background and even had a close friend of hers who was also a copper look into it. Both came back with high praise for her boyfriend. So Molly felt it was alright to proceed with the relationship.

Sure, she was a bit wary when James asked her out after their embarrassing first meeting. But as she went over their encounter numerous times in her mind, she could not find a possible link between him and Sherlock. And then she herself did her due diligence and looked him up online before asking her police friends to look into it. Seeing the man's photograph, well Molly could not help but be a little breathless, the man was gorgeous and it boggled her mind, that he was interested in her.

So she agreed to a date and then another and then another. Before long, James asked her for exclusivity and she saw no reason why she shouldn't agree. James, she discovered was interested in her and only her. He was fascinated with her work and the passion she apparently had for her job. He told her that she would shine as she talked about pathology. She absolutely knew what a gem he was because he did not find her line of work revolting, like a lot of blokes she went out with before. He talked to her too, in a way that no man ever had. As though he wanted her to know all of him, his past and the mistakes he's made, his present and how sometimes he wished he could do a little bit more, his future and the things he wished to accomplish.

Over all, she found that it would be so easy to fall in love with the man.

And then Sherlock had to enter the picture.

Of course, Molly knew that inevitably, her world with James had to collide with her world with Sherlock. She hadn't made a conscious effort to try and separate the two. Sherlock rarely found her life interesting enough to prod deeper into it, let alone insert himself in the situation. Sherlock Holmes simple came and went as he pleased in Molly's life and her lab. She was used to it and if in the past she lamented this fact, well she was over it. If she was being generous, she would call him her friend and while it took her a bit to get used to the idea that a friend was all he would be, at least she got used to it. She was over it. She was over him.

She was with James now. And he was lovely. But Sherlock was ruining the lovely picture she had of her boyfriend. The dig that James used to fancy someone else, while it shouldn't matter for it was all in the past; Molly had a bit of a sore spot for unrequited feelings, the way that Sherlock described it though, made it sound like not quite unrequited. She wondered what would have happened had James stayed on as crown prosecutor, would he have eventually gotten together with Alesha Phillips?

This is precisely why she must put a stop to Sherlock's investigation. James did not deserve her doubt. He had done nothing but be an exemplary boyfriend. He treated her right; he was attentive but not so much that she felt like he was suffocating her. Molly knew that James was relatively posh but he never gave her gifts that made her feel like he was buying her affections, the gifts that he did shower her with were more her style, a single flower to brighten her office, a night out to the cinema or a night in with her favorite movies. Sometimes, Molly wondered what she had to offer James. She was just Molly Hooper; a voice in her head would remind her _Dr. Molly Hooper_ and it distinctly sounded like Sherlock, what could he possibly see in her?

A month into their relationship and she asked him just that. James looked at her with a confused expression, as though her question was beyond comprehension. After a beat he answered. He told her that she was smart, a description that she had to conceded was appropriate for her, except of course when she compared herself to the brilliance of Sherlock Holmes, who thought everyone around him were idiots. Then he said she was funny, she found that a little unconvincing, didn't Sherlock tell her that she was not the best conversationalist? James added that she made him laugh and she had to admit that he had a great laugh, she certainly heard it often enough to know that what he said was true. And James, lovely James, his laugh was genuine. She could see it in the sparkle in his eyes, knew that his mirth was not feigned.

And finally he said that she was beautiful. The last one she found herself unable to accept and James seemed to know that she was resisting the compliment. Molly knew that she did not have the best fashion sense; she also knew that her lips were too small and her breasts and hips were too, she was overall plain. She knew all these things about herself and she had to learn to accept them as well. But then James took both of her hands in his and told her she was beautiful. His blue eyes peered right into her, trying to convince her of the truth of his words. And maybe she was convinced that he, James Steele, saw her, Molly Hooper, as beautiful. He made her feel beautiful.

Molly realized that she could not let Sherlock ruin it all with his clinical facts about James. She needed to put a stop to it at once.

The solution just appeared.

"Hello, Molly." John Watson grinned at her as he sat down.

Molly pushed the other pint of beer towards him in return. "Thanks for coming."

"Ta." He nodded as he took a drink. "How's James?" He asked, looking genuinely interested.

"He's well." Molly smiled slightly. "How's Sherlock?"

John shrugged. "I don't really know. Feels like I haven't seen him in days." His brows furrowed. "Sometimes he takes on cases on his own, gives me a bit of a break so I don't question it."

So Sherlock neglected to tell John that the case he was currently working on was James. Molly wondered how she ought to proceed.

"Molly, did we meet just so we can talk about Sherlock?" John looked at her searchingly.

"Um," Molly bit her lower lip as she thought of a tactful way to address her problem. "Sherlock's been acting like a complete prat." She let out in one breath.

His brows rose at the pronouncement. "As opposed to what? Complete prat is Sherlock's default setting."

Molly laughed and John joined her. "Has he been bothering you, with his new case?"

She rubbed a hand over her face. "James is his new case." She answered ruefully.

John's mouth dropped open as he stared at her. "What?" He asked once he regained some of his senses.

"Sherlock is investigating James and then relaying everything he's found out to me." Molly looked at John carefully. "You had no idea what he was doing."

His mouth formed a narrow line, clearly unhappy with what he just heard. "No, I didn't know what he was doing. I would have stopped him; you know that right, Molly?"

She nodded with conviction.

"But no one can really stop Sherlock from doing what the bloody hell he wants." John grumbled. "I told him to-" He stopped talking.

Molly looked at him curiously, aware that John had consciously censored himself. "I just hope that he, well the things he learned I just want him to keep them to himself."

John snorted but then gave her an apologetic look. "That's probably not going to happen."

She lowered her gaze and stared at her pint. "I just don't want him… Sherlock can just say such awful things. I don't want him to say them about James."

"You really like this bloke." John said the words as though he was unable to believe it himself, she looked up at that.

"Of course I do."

"I didn't mean any offense, Molly. It's just that-"

"I've fancied Sherlock forever and it didn't seem like I would ever get over him." Molly finished for him. "Well I am. I fancy James now and I would really appreciate it if Sherlock could keep his nose out of my business." She met John's gaze defiantly.

John sighed. "I'm sorry, Molly. I didn't mean to imply anything. I know that you're happy with James, anyone who can see, well, can see that."

Molly blushed. Was she that obvious? She was happy, is happy. Until Sherlock started spouting out facts about James. "James, he is a decent man. I know Sherlock thinks very little of my choice of boyfriends, but James, he is no Jim. Greg could have told him that." She said quietly.

"Ah!" John smiled. "This is precisely why he is doing what he is doing, aside from..." He trailed off.

A small wrinkle formed between her brows. "What are you talking about John?"

"Well, you know Sherlock likes to think that he is clever than most people, you asking Lestrade for character reference for James..." John was looking at her as though his words should have been obvious.

"Greg vouched _for_ Sherlock." Molly said pointedly.

It was true; when she first met Sherlock he was impersonating Greg. He showed up at the lab, it was only her second day on the job. He flashed a badge with the name DI Gregory Lestrade and demanded the use of her lab. Molly was new and the man's personality was too overwhelming so she just stood there as he made good use of the place. A small part of her wondered why a detective inspector was doing such tasks when he commanded an entire department; he probably had a crime scene unit that could very well test the specimen he came in with. But there he was, doing everything all on his own. Then just as abruptly as he came he got up with the results and left. Left Molly to straighten up everything he used.

Once Molly had a moment to herself, she couldn't help but admit that the man was incredibly striking. She was unable to resist the temptation to look him up online. And when she typed in the name, well the photograph did not quite match the man she just met. Granted the man on all the newspaper articles was rather dishy but there was no resemblance between the two. At all. The man online did not have a mop of jet black curls. Nor did he possess the same pale complexion that her strange visitor had. But most of all he did not have the same blue eyes that seemed to lighten or darken according to the intensity of the owner's emotions.

A few days passed and Molly wondered if she simply dreamt up the man in her lab. He was after all a bit too gorgeous to be actually real. Once she had sufficiently doubted her own sanity, he came back.

This time he was accompanied by the actual DI Gregory Lestrade. The two men came in asking to see a body that was just delivered to the morgue that day. Molly, though a little flustered, greeted them and addressed the detective inspector using his name before he could even introduce himself. An expression that she couldn't quite qualify crossed the impersonator's face and he said that obviously she googled Lestrade and discovered her mistake in allowing a random individual access to the labs of St Bart's. He said that she could very well lose her position for her action. Through a number of false starts and stops, Molly retorted that impersonating an officer of the law must be a greater offense and then she looked at the DI, who simply shrugged and said 'That's Sherlock Holmes for you, never been much a follower of rules and regs. And I'll take back my badge if you don't mind.' The latter was told to the other man, who Molly now knew as Sherlock.

Once they were done with the body, Sherlock Holmes informed her of all the things she missed and then swept out of the lab with such flair, his black coat trailing behind him like a cape. She mused quietly whether she should inform security to ban him from the hospital when Greg, who remained behind to thank her for her assistance, said that he hoped that she wouldn't do that. The DI then informed her how Sherlock Holmes, though quite a right bastard, actually helped Scotland Yard solve crimes and while knowing the man longer would not improve his personality, he was still a decent man.

And so Sherlock kept coming back to her lab. And his brilliant deductions, while a great deal offensive to the person being deduced, eventually captured her unrequited affections.

"Yes, he did." Molly murmured.

John was grinning when she looked at him again. "You should tell him that, ought to shut him up for a good second or two."

She smiled slightly. "It still won't solve my problem. You said aside from?"

John looked slightly flustered at her question. His eyes darted on her then to the wall behind her before he answered. "Well yeah, you know how Sherlock dislikes not catching something immediately. I think he's cross that he didn't know you were involved with someone."

It sounded like a lie. That was the only thing that Molly could think.

"I have to admit, I missed it too. But Sherlock, he probably felt like he should have known it the moment it happened." John was becoming more confident as he spoke.

A tiny part of Molly felt like he was manipulating her into defending her actions so she could forget that he said that Sherlock had another reason for interfering with her life. But a bigger part of her rose to the bait. "I didn't deliberately hide my relationship with James. It's not my fault that Sherlock missed it."

"Molly-"

"It's not my fault that I am not interesting enough to him. It's not my fault that he is consumed by everything else that he failed to see that I do actually have a life outside of him. I am not ashamed of my relationship. It didn't hide it from him or you." She gave John a reproachful look.

He sighed. "I know. I wasn't implying. Sherlock is a berk. It will all blow over." John tried to be reassuring.

"But that's the point. I don't want it to blow over. I just want it to stop." Molly uttered with such force. She paused as she met John's gaze directly. "I don't want Sherlock to ruin this for me. And you know how good he is at doing that."

John was looking at her unhappily. "You know he doesn't mean to."

"And that's the point. He never means to, but the end result is still the same." She took a deep breath. "I didn't mean to take it out on you. It's just Sherlock…it's been a long day." She ran a hand through her hair.

"It's okay."

"It's not. I'm sorry John. I shouldn't have put you in the middle of this." Molly nodded resolutely. "I'll just wait this out. He's bound to find a case, right?" She offered him a small hopeful smile.

Before John could respond someone appeared over his shoulder. Molly's smile widened significantly. "James." With a decisive nod she shelved the topic of Sherlock Holmes in her mind and focused on her newly arrived boyfriend and her friend. Molly resolved to enjoy this evening and perhaps James and John could get to know one another, her two worlds were unexpectedly merged but Molly was nothing if not adaptable.

* * *

Molly hummed as she filled out her paperwork. Her day had been incredibly good. No Sherlock in sight and just one body for examination. All in all quite a slow day.

After James' arrival at the pub the night before, Molly suggested that they ordered some food. John had taken the hint and the three of them simply talked. John and James got to know each other and Molly had a feeling that John was beginning to like him, which she truly appreciated because John's opinion mattered.

By the end of the night, John had a handful of paper slips containing phone numbers of women. It started when James noticed a fiery red head eyeing her friend. John, with mild urging from her and James, marched up to the woman and he successfully got her mobile number. Soon though, they made a game of it. Molly would look around the growing crowd and spot someone she thought would suit John and then they would formulate a way to get the woman's number. It began with all three of them participating; Molly had to shyly ask several women if they were willing to go out with her friend who was a bit shy, gesturing towards John. Several took a look at John and his boyish smile and scrawled down their information, a few declined politely and some not so politely. James took part in the exercise but had to stop when a handsy brunette started groping him and tried to write her number on his palm. Molly crossly realized that her boyfriend was an attractive man and the women, who were at the pub drinking, could very well mistakenly think it was he who was after their numbers. He recused himself from playing after that. Then it was just her and John, who was clearly enjoying the game. In the end Molly got more numbers for John than he did and her friend good naturedly told her that next time he needed a wingman that he was definitely going to call her.

So Molly had a good night and her day was turning out to be good as well.

A minute passed before the doors to the lab opened.

She stiffened when she heard the telltale sound. Mentally, she tried to encourage herself to ignore him the way that she had been doing for the last two days. Molly watched Sherlock as he stopped right across from her. "You're here." She said softly.

A brow rose at her words. "Your ability to state the obvious is stellar as always, Molly."

Her shoulders drooped in resignation. Her great day was ruined. She wanted to shout at him to stop. But that was not the way she was raised and as much as she might be vexed by what Sherlock was doing, a part of her, a tiny part, was fully aware that it was a means for him to express his concern, no matter how annoying it had been. At least she hoped that was why he was doing what he was doing. So she bit her lip and was determined to tune out what he was about to say about James.

And so Sherlock went on.

Molly managed to successfully block out his information about James' childhood sweethearts. Her attention was regained when he mentioned her boyfriend's affair with a colleague that caused the breakdown of his first marriage. "Sherlock," She said with mild pleading. Her gaze lowered as she asked, "How do you even know that?"

"It's a matter of public record, Molly." Sherlock replied with his usual superior expression.

She rubbed her eyes and sighed heavily. The consulting detective simply continued as though she hadn't interrupted him.

Molly bit her tongue and tried harder to ignore him.

"…unhappy." Sherlock pronounced with such confidence.

Molly blinked. She missed what he said, she had no context for where the conversation, one sided as it may have been, had gone. She felt as though he could very well have insulted her.

He was looking at her expectantly.

The word unhappy bounced around in her mind. What did he say? Now she wished she hadn't succeeded in ignoring the last bit of what he said. She looked up at him and the days since he began his investigation truly got to her. She could feel her eyes prickling with unshed tears.

"Unhappy?" She rasped out.

He nodded almost imperceptibly.

Her brows furrowed. She tried to get more out of him but after spending too many days talking it seemed that he was finally done.

"You think that he is unhappy." Bits of his speech were trickling in her mind.

"Yes."

"I…" Molly felt like she was shrinking right in front of him. "Y-you think I am making him unhappy." Her gaze focused on anything but Sherlock. She thought that he was her friend that the entire point of the exercise that she was subjected to the past few days was to make sure that she was going dive into her relationship fully aware of the possible pitfalls. She thought that Sherlock was just showing in his own way his concern for her. But apparently he truly meant what he said that she ought to avoid all attempts at relationships. Because she was simply going to make whoever was senseless enough to enter into a relationship with her, unhappy.

But suddenly she wasn't feeling devastated. Instead a bubble of resentment grew within her and she was beginning to feel anger, red hot anger. Days of listening to him go on and on about everything that was wrong with her choice of boyfriend finally caught up with her. Molly Hooper was no longer feeling the least bit inferior to the great Sherlock Holmes. James was a good man and he made her happy. Molly only had to conjure his image from the night before to know that she made him happy. No proclamation from Sherlock would change those facts-

"Stop!" Sherlock's voice interrupted her spiraling thoughts. "Molly, stop."

It took a great deal of effort for her to do as he said. She froze when she felt his gentle touch as he lifted her chin so their gaze would meet. "You stopped listening, you obviously were trying hard to ignore me as I spoke," He gave her a mild glare. "About James Steele, the distant look in your eye prior to my utterance of that single word was evidence that you succeeded. Then you hear that one word, suddenly I once again garnered your attention and you choose to react to the word that most certainly did not pertain to you."

She looked at him with defiance, despite the fact that he was very entirely right. "Then say what you mean, Sherlock. Do I make James unhappy?"

He glared at her, seemingly offended by her question. "No. But he is unhappy."

Molly folded her arms across her chest, now properly mad. "You think so." If James was in fact unhappy then it was not such a leap in logic that she had something to do with said unhappiness.

"I know he is." He retorted.

"And how exactly do you know that he is as unhappy as you claim?" She lifted a brow expectantly.

Sherlock huffed in exasperation. "He was a barrister for the crown. Obviously he felt some sort of calling for him to decide to work to exact the Queen's justice instead of opting for a far more lucrative practice." He informed her in his superior tone. "Though he chose to step away from it all, it was obvious that he did so in order to preserve the sanctity," He snorted a bit at the word, "of the law, which he clearly thought he tainted by his very presence. But based on the interviews I conducted-"

"Interviews?!" Molly wanted to bury her face in her hands in embarrassment at the thought of everything that Sherlock did in order to gather information about James.

He shot her an annoyed look as he continued. "The interviews I conducted with his former colleagues gave me sufficient data on his continued involvement with the Crown Prosecutor Service; he consults with them from time to time but never receives any form of recognition. Clearly he is doing so to fulfill his own desire to be part of that organization."

She looked down thoughtfully. As much as she hated to admit it, whenever James talked about his job he did not possess the look of a person who was passionate about what he was doing. His work in private practice seemed to not completely satisfy him. Whenever he spoke of his past as a crown prosecutor he seemed nostalgic and a little bit sad but he seemed more alive somehow…perhaps Sherlock had a point.

"He is not happy with his life." Sherlock declared. "And should you continue this dalliance, he in turn will make you unhappy."

Molly looked at him thoughtfully. If Sherlock was right, and the git probably was, then where did that leave her? She was quite happy with her life. She was a capable pathologist, even Sherlock would admit as much. She enjoyed helping the consulting detective in his pursuits. And now she was happily in a relationship. It should all be simple. She had no idea if she should thank Sherlock or throttle him for alerting her to the fact that James might not be as content with his life as she was with her own. "What should I do?" She wondered.

"Hmm?" Sherlock had taken out his mobile, Molly had no idea if he finally got bored of the subject and was looking for new diversions. "Is that a rhetorical question or were you in fact actually soliciting my advice?" He lowered his mobile and looked at her critically. Before she could open her mouth to answer he continued speaking. "Because I most certainly do not feel like wasting my time giving you counsel since you've exhibited an ability to twist my advice beyond recognition to suit your needs. The notion that my input would have an effect on any action you will take is laughable, as you will only probably twist that too."

She let out a choked laugh. She shook her head in mild exasperation. If the lengths he went through in order to investigate James was simply to inform her of everything that was wrong with the man then allow her to reach her own conclusions without any further input from him, well Sherlock was rarely mum with his opinions, he most probably wanted her to end things with James just so everything could go back to normal and she could be at his beck and call once more. Molly returned his critical gaze. "So what was the point of…" She gestured towards him. "the past three days. You didn't put so much work if you thought that it would be an exercise in futility."

"Due diligence, Molly." Sherlock answered shortly.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Character assassinations are due diligence now?"

"Due diligence." He grumbled insistently.

She folded her arms across her chest and eyed him skeptically. "It distinctly felt like character assassination to me."

"DUE DILIGENCE." He insisted. "I…"

Molly's arms dropped to her sides at what was happening. Sherlock was, for a lack of better term, hesitant. Sherlock Holmes was never hesitant about expressing any opinion no matter how wrong and cruel it may sound to the person on the other end of the conversation. He also looked mildly uncomfortable, something that he rarely exhibited.

He exhaled with clear exasperation. "I did you a grave injustice by not looking deeper into Moriarty."

Molly was stunned into silence by his admission.

The fact was Sherlock never acknowledged the part he played in the entire Jim debacle. The times that he did to refer to her brief relationship with Jim were few and far between and it almost always centered on her faulty choice in men, thus, his advice to never to pursue any romantic relationship. Molly did not fancy a future as the lady with only cats for company so she amended his words to suit her purpose. She was simply flabbergasted by everything. Molly stumbled slightly as she moved backward to where she knew her chair was located. She inhaled deeply once she was settled in her seat. She kept her gaze on him the entire time.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Obviously I knew that I had a hand in Moriarty picking you as a consort in order to observe me."

She huffed. Understatement.

Sherlock advanced towards her until he was looking down at her. Molly decided she did not appreciate being looked down on.

"I apologize."

Two words, Molly clutched her hands together to keep them from trembling. She looked up at him and his eyes conveyed that he meant those two words. After her ill-fated romance with Jim, Molly tried hard to move on from being used by the consulting criminal. She could admit that her pride was hurt by the fact that his interest in her was simply an extension of his interest in Sherlock. But all those emotions were stuffed in a box when everything else involving Moriarty unfolded. Jim deemed her interactions with Sherlock as so insignificant that he discounted the possibility that she could play such a substantial role in mucking up his grand plans.

Sherlock looked like he wanted to say more but she saved him from further expressing any more emotion. She stood up so suddenly that he took a step back in the most inelegant fashion. He scowled at her but Molly ignored him as she wrapped her arms around his middle.

Sherlock Holmes was a complex man. She thought that his investigation was to dissuade her from being with James. That his endgame was to finally convince her that his wise words should be the path that she pursued for the rest of her life. The idea that perhaps he was bombarding her with information on James because he cared about her crossed her mind but was summarily dismissed as a bit of narcissism on her part. But he just confirmed it, didn't he? He still looked into James despite the fact that Greg and Ray already did the same for her.

Sherlock for all intents and purposes was her friend.

He patted her back awkwardly. "I still think that James Steele is bound to make you unhappy. He is also a bit rubbish at being a barr-"

Molly shook her head, her cheek rubbed against his lovely coat. "Shut up Sherlock, we're having a moment here."

TBC


End file.
